BDP co-chair Demirtaş says peace process to continue even without ruling AKP

ISTANBUL

'If the AKP ceases to be the addressee, then we will continue the peace process with the alternatives,' Demirtaş said. DHA Photo

Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş said Feb. 27 his party would continue the peace process even without the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

“We will work for a solution to the Kurdish problem regardless of which party is in government. If the AKP ceases to be the addressee, then we will continue the peace process with alternatives,” Demirtaş told CNNTürk late Feb. 27.

He also said the AKP had been informed about illegal wiretappings but ignored them in the past, claiming that it only became disturbed by them after the government became the target.

“The AKP has become the victim of the monster it created itself. The AKP spokespersons say they want to solve the peace process and tell us to ignore their graft. What we say is that the peace process is important, but peace cannot be reached by preventing the graft and corruption operations,” said Demirtaş.

The BDP co-leader also said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was "no longer able" to govern the country after his reactions to the graft allegations and said early elections must be held.

Demirtaş added that Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) serving a life prison sentence in İmralı Island prison, would present new messages during the Nevruz festival in March.